Vic’s is the upscale answer to next door’s coed-heavy bar, Tuggs. Inside the riverfront locale, a sleek, curved bar serves up everything from beer to specialty martinis, plus wine off an always-expanding list. The kitchen cooks up steak, chops, salads, and pasta, but the best deals are found during happy hour on week nights: appetizers are just $5, while martinis and glasses of wine are $4. Local music favorites, with genres ranging from acoustic rock to gypsy jazz, perform inside Vic’s during winter months. And between June and August, live music can be enjoyed from high-top tables on the restaurant’s outdoor terrace. Continue Reading

You met in one of Grand Avenue's crowded coed-dominated bars more than twenty years ago—he was fresh out of St. Thomas business school and you were a fledgling philosophy student at Macalester. Now your nights out don't have to be about the noise and crowds—a cocktail and conversation, coupled with some of the Twin Cities' best bar bites, is enough to rouse you from your Highland Park home. Luckily, St. Paulites have one of the Cities' classiest, coziest institutions at their fingertips. What you'll find—other couples out for a quiet night, wine and premium cocktails, cheese plates and escargots, plush booths, a carved oak interior, and soft lighting. The perfect ingredients to create your own heat. What you won't find—twentysomethings who have had one too many.
Prime time: Draws a solid after-work and nighttime crowd.
Try the: Classic cocktails and single-malt scotches.
Crowd: Sophisticated couples and friends looking for a place where they feel comfortable—whether in Brooks Brothers or J. Crew.
Late-night bite: The cheese plates.
Don't be surprised if . . . you become a regular. Continue Reading

Whiskey Junction offers a campier take on the biker-bar experience than its earnest neighbor, The Joint. Blues bands frequent its stage, at times requiring a cover to enter the large, open space lined on one side by booths and the other by the bar, while the adjacent room houses tables for chowing pizza. In 2007, new owners cleaned up the place and vowed to improve the service at this light-rail stopover for Harley owners who don’t necessarily live and die by the bike. Continue Reading

This warm corner bar was a favorite among Nordeast residents long before the neighborhood's revival. A great selection of bar food (including a mean burger), all your favorite beers, and a friendly staff make Whitey's a great place for a casual hangout. Be sure to check out the pseudo-secret pool room in the basement, and come back after the sun rises for some of the tastiest morning-after grub in town. Continue Reading

The Wild Onion is a a casual eatery for all ages during the day, but by night, the Chicago-style tavern becomes a hot spot for St. Thomas coeds and other just-turned-twenty-one bar hoppers. Stop by on a weekend night and you'll find a packed house. The same goes for Tuesday nights, when boys and girls celebrate their birthdays with free mug pours and hot wings, plus a display of dance moves on the small-but-crowded dance floor. The best time to frequent the Wild Onion is during the afternoon happy hour, every Monday through Friday, where you'll find beer, mixed drinks, house wines, appetizers, and top-shelf martinis at discounted prices. Continue Reading

Boasting one of the largest selections of beer in the Twin Cities, Williams Uptown Pub & Peanut Bar is a frill-free weekend hot spot with a fun-loving crowd that's always up for a game of pool, darts, or pinball. This also means that on any given Friday or Saturday night, Williams is at high volume and high noise. The trendier, more mature crowd stays in the upstairs pub, seated on multicolored bar stools, while the college-aged fraternity types take over the downstairs peanut bar. Check out Williams' daily specials, including Monday Pitcher Night, Two-for-Ones on Tuesday and Thursday, Friday Pint Night, and dollar burgers or dogs on Saturday and Sunday. Continue Reading

The lobby bar of the sleek and sexy Aloft (a vision of W Hotels, incase you haven't heard) is filled with modern furniture and a buzzy vibe. You don't have to be a guest to call this slick spot home. Continue Reading

Gone is the 90s-inspired blue and magenta tinge of Martini Blu. It's been replaced with the sleek, updated bar, white tablecloths, and Mediterranean air of David Fhima's new concept Zahtar by Fhima. Located in downtown Minneapolis's Grand Hotel, the restaurant finally feels like, well, a downtown bar, complete with a fantastic happy hour featuring a mix of fun appetizers and sushi rolls and $3 tap beer and wine. Continue Reading

Zelo is first and foremost a fine Italian restaurant, but the separate bar area is an exceptionally nice place to have a drink with colleagues and nibble on appetizers. In the early evenings the single professional crowd packs the place, but the turnover is quick because half of them end up heading into the restaurant. There are a few spacious booths in the bar area, but most of the seating is along the bar itself and at small tables. The bar is well stocked and the wine list is impressive, especially in the area of Italian reds. High, vaulted ceiling make for an elegant, airy atmosphere, and the service is crisp and professional. Continue Reading